The invention identifies plants carrying certain mutations, which can be used as haploid inducers or doubled haploid inducers in plant breeding. According to the invention, significant haploid induction and even doubled haploid induction rates can be observed when at least one functional mutation within a SAD-homology domain is present, wherein the functional mutation affects the expression of certain SAD-homology consensus sequences. The present invention further provides haploid and doubled haploid plants, which are obtained by contacting a first gamete from a plant as identified according to the invention with a second gamete from a plant expressing a wild-type SAD-homology domain to generate a zygote. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for identifying a plant having the activity of a haploid inducer or a doubled haploid inducer in a plant population.

The invention identifies plants carrying certain mutations, which can be used as haploid inducers or doubled haploid inducers in plant breeding. According to the invention, significant haploid induction and even doubled haploid induction rates can be observed when at least one functional mutation within a SAD-homology domain is present, wherein the functional mutation affects the expression of certain SAD-homology consensus sequences. The present invention further provides haploid and doubled haploid plants, which are obtained by contacting a first gamete from a plant as identified according to the invention with a second gamete from a plant expressing a wild-type SAD-homology domain to generate a zygote. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for identifying a plant having the activity of a haploid inducer or a doubled haploid inducer in a plant population.

Disclosed are methods of obtaining clonal seeds, methods of plant cloning, methods of screening for maternal plants that produce clonal seeds asexually and methods of increasing yield of clonal seeds. Also disclosed are constructs comprising a nucleic acid that may silence the activity of a RNA-dependent DNA methylation pathway gene. Further disclosed are maternal plants comprising a construct wherein the construct comprises an exogenous nucleic acid sequence, wherein the construct renders the maternal plant defective for RNA-dependent DNA methylation.

The present invention relates to methods and compositions for identifying, selecting and/or producing a Disease resistant soybean plant or germplasm using markers, genes and chromosomal intervals derived from Glycine tomentella PI441001, PI441008, PI446958, PI509501, PI583970, PI499939 or PI483224. A soybean plant or germplasm that has been identified, selected and/or produced by any of the methods of the present invention is also provided. Disease resistant soybean seeds, plants and germplasms are also provided.

The present invention relates to methods and compositions for identifying, selecting and/or producing a Disease resistant soybean plant or germplasm using markers, genes and chromosomal intervals derived from Glycine tomentella PI441001, PI441008, PI446958, PI509501, PI583970, PI499939 or PI483224. A soybean plant or germplasm that has been identified, selected and/or produced by any of the methods of the present invention is also provided. Disease resistant soybean seeds, plants and germplasms are also provided.

Sorghum plants are provided which are capable of inducing haploidy by modifications in the genome related to a pollen-specific expressed patatin phospholipid producing haploid offspring and can be produced for hybrid breeding in short time by chromosome doubling inbred lines, that is, homozygous father and mother lines. In addition, methods are provided for producing transgenic and non-transgenic plant haploid inducers and improving the induction performance of plants.

The invention provides novel methods for microspore embryogenesis and the production of doubled haploid embryos. For example, the methods provided include obtaining a plurality of flower buds from a donor plant, determining the developmental stage of microspores comprised within said flower buds, selecting flower buds comprising microspores at a desired developmental stage, treating said flower buds, isolating microspores from said flower buds, and culturing said microspores in induction medium or treating said isolated microspores with a chromosome doubling agent.

The invention provides novel methods for microspore embryogenesis and the production of doubled haploid embryos. For example, the methods provided include obtaining a plurality of flower buds from a donor plant, determining the developmental stage of microspores comprised within said flower buds, selecting flower buds comprising microspores at a desired developmental stage, treating said flower buds, isolating microspores from said flower buds, and culturing said microspores in induction medium or treating said isolated microspores with a chromosome doubling agent.

Disclosed are methods of obtaining clonal seeds, methods of plant cloning, methods of screening for maternal plants that produce clonal seeds asexually and methods of increasing yield of clonal seeds. Also disclosed are constructs comprising a nucleic acid that may silence the activity of a RNA-dependent DNA methylation pathway gene. Further disclosed are maternal plants comprising a construct wherein the construct comprises an exogenous nucleic acid sequence, wherein the construct renders the maternal plant defective for RNA-dependent DNA methylation.

A method of inducing genetic recombination, including: allowing a protein having DNA double-stranded cleavage activity to act in cells of a eukaryotic organism which is a polyploidy inherently possessed by a eukaryotic organism. In eukaryotic organisms, various genetic recombination generates new genome set composition. This is done to obtain a population of eukaryotic organisms that hold the modified genomic set.